Category News

In the second round of Champions League qualifying, Rangers and Panathinaikos were faced.

The winners of the first-round matchup between Linfield, the champion of Northern Ireland, and Shelbourne, the Republic of Ireland, will face Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.

The New Saints, the Welsh champions, will face FCSB of Romania or Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra if they beat Shkendija of North Maceonia in a tie.

In their respective domestic leagues, all three potential opponents were runners-up, just like Rangers, but Swiss Servette are 139th (one place behind Heart of Midlothian) and Norwegian Brann is 189th, while the Greek side is 111th in the European club rankings, just 86 places behind Rangers.

After capturing AEK Athens after the division split, the side led by former Egypt and Benfica head coach Rui Vitoria finished 16 points behind Olympiakos in the Greek Super League last year.

In four meetings with Rangers, two with Motherwell, and one with Aberdeen, the Panathinaikos have won four of their seven games and never lost to Scottish foes over 90 minutes.

Rangers, however, made progress when they last faced the Ibrox side.

After drawing 1-1 at home in Athens in the round of 32 following a 0-0 draw in Glasgow, the Greeks lost on away goals after defeating Aberdeen 3-0 at home in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup group stage.

In their most recent encounter with a Scottish side in 2012, they defeated Rangers 3-1 at Ibrox and draw 1-1 at home in the Champions League group stage. They also defeated Motherwell 5-0 on aggregate in their most recent encounter in the Champions League third qualifying round.

Since 2010-11, the Panathinaikos haven’t qualified for the Champions League properly, and their last season started with a win over Botev Plovdiv before falling to Ajax to advance to Conference League by defeating Lens.

They finished 13th overall, defeated Vikingur Reykjavik in the knockout phase, lost to Fiorentina in the final 16, and lost 4-1 at home to eventual champions Chelsea.

Under Philippe Clement’s leadership last season, Rangers lost their opening Champions League qualifier to Dynamo Kyiv. By the time interim head coach Barry Ferguson was in charge, Rangers had already advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals.

David Gray’s side kicks off the Europa League campaign this season with a third-place finish in the Premiership on July 24 when the Danes travel to Leith for the second leg.

Hibs avoided Belgium’s Anderlecht and the winners of ties between Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova and Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine against Ilves Tampere in a match against Prishtina of Kosovo, who were unseeded in Wednesday’s draw.

Midtjylland, led by Thomas Thomasberg, finished 20th in the Europa League league before falling to Real Sociedad in the knock-out stage play-offs.

After falling 5-0 on aggregate to Finnish side Kuopion Palloseura in the Conference League first qualifying round last year, Arno Bonvini’s side, who finished second overall in the Luxembourg, will only be playing in their second-ever European tie.

In the event that St. Joseph’s of Gibraltar defeat Cliftonville to face Shamrock Rovers in the first qualifying round, there might be a north-south match-up.

Northern Irish rivals Dungannon and Larne or Auda of Latvia will face off against Prishtina of Kosovo or Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova in their first match.

If Haverfordwest County defeats Kauno Zalgiris of Lithuania, they will face Ballkani of Kosovo, while Welsh rivals Penybont will face Valur of Iceland or Flora Tallinn of Estonia in an encounter.

Should St. Patrick’s Athletic defeat Hegelmann from Lithuania, they will face Nomme Kalju of Estonia or Partizani of Albania.

Who will face Zalgiris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta in the Champions League match between Shelbourne and Linfield?

Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson and her backroom staff will have been deep in conversation over the past few days, weighing up the pros and cons of the players who will be selected to contest the 2025 Women’s European Championship.

The waiting – and the selection nerves – will be over on Thursday morning when Wilkinson takes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to reveal her squad.

The announcement will give joy to some and heartbreak to others, as Wales ramp up their preparations for the 16-team tournament.

Wilkinson has previously said she was clear on about 20 of the squad places, while there are others than can “go either way”.

A total of 23 players are likely to be named officially for the tournament but – as was the case with Wales and the men’s World Cup in 2022 – extra training places could be offered to players to form part of the travelling squad.

Wales, who have qualified for a women’s major tournament for the first time, will face holders England in Switzerland as well as 2022 Euro semi-finalists France and 2017 champions the Netherlands in the group stage.

Euro 2025 gets under way on 2 July, but Wales – the lowest ranked side in the draw – will kick-off their campaign against the Dutch in Lucerne on 5 July.

On first examination, Wales’ recent relegation from the top tier of the Nations League is hardly the morale boost that Wilkinson would have hoped for going into the Euros.

Wales finished bottom of League A Group 4 with two draws and fours losses from matches against Sweden, Italy and Denmark – teams that have also qualified for the Euros.

But the frustrating campaign could well have a silver lining.

Apart from the 4-1 defeat by Italy in the last group game, with relegation already confirmed and Wilkinson opting to limit the participation of some of her Euro-bound stars, Wales never lost by more than one goal.

Although the lack of a win is a glaring minus, they came very close and have shown, not just to themselves but to the wider footballing world, they can mix it at the game’s elite level.

There is a hard-won, genuine belief that they belong in this company and – with a touch more composure, or that slice of fortune that so often decides sporting contests – can turn those close defeats and draws into wins.

As star player Jess Fishlock has already bullishly stated: “We’re not there to make up the numbers. I believe – and these girls believe – we’re going to get there and compete.

That brings us nicely on to Fishlock, a generational talent and Wales’ record cap-holder and goalscorer.

With 162 caps and 47 goals, the 38-year-old Seattle Reign midfielder is the beating heart of Wales: fiercely competitive, a born leader, oozing class.

There have been injury niggles this season, but the fact that she continues to operate at the highest level in her late 30s is testament to Fishlock’s professionalism and hunger to at last represent her country on the big stage.

It is a stage she fully deserves to occupy, front and centre, even if it comes in the twilight of a career that has taken her from Cardiff to Seattle via top-flight clubs across the world including Melbourne Victory, Frankfurt and Olympique Lyonnais.

The Welsh men showed during their heady march to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 how much a close-knit squad of good professionals can achieve with that little sprinkle of stardust.

Gareth Bale provided that for the men and Fishlock can be a similar ace in the hole for Wilkinson’s side in Switzerland.

Former Real Madrid star Bale was far from a one-man band though, ably assisted by his midfield muckers Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey, a core that allowed the players around them to step up to the plate and flourish.

Sam Vokes and Hal Robson-Kanu were hardly household names before Euro 2016; after that tournament they are part of Welsh footballing folklore.

Fishlock has her own lieutenants, not least her Seattle team-mate Angharad James – who, with 132 caps, has so often lined up alongside her in midfield for club and country.

Fishlock, James, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, Rachel Rowe and Kayleigh Barton boast a total of 638 international appearances between them.

Wales have a hugely experienced core at the heart of their squad even before you consider former captain Sophie Ingle, but more of the 141-cap midfielder and her chances of playing in Switzerland later.

While Wilkinson will turn to some players who represent clubs outside the top divisions, the bulk of her squad will be made up of those who have been tempered both sides of the Atlantic in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Those include strikers Ceri Holland (Liverpool), Hannah Cain (Leicester City) and Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace), plus Seattle defender Lily Woodham, who joined Palace on loan last season.

The raw pace of Ffion Morgan, Bristol City’s player of the season in their Championship campaign, provides Wilkinson with an important option in attack and the 25-year-old must surely be included.

Likewise IFK Norrkoping’s Carrie Jones and fellow midfielder Alice Griffiths, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Southampton at fellow Championship side Durham.

Newcastle United’s 26-year-old defender Lois Joel – another competing in the second-tier Championship that has been rebranded as WSL2 for next season – will likely also go as cover across the backline, but it remains to be seen how much youthful enthusiasm Wilkinson will add to her grizzled veterans.

The likes of Sunderland forward Mary McAteer, 21, Manchester United’s once-capped 18-year-old midfielder Mared Griffiths and club-mate defender Scarlett Hill, 17, Aston Villa goalkeeper Soffia Kelly, 18, fellow stopper Poppy Soper – the 23-year-old from Blackburn Rovers – and Bristol City forward Tianna Teisar, 19, have all been called into the squad during the Nations League campaign.

A corner piece of Wilkinson’s selection jigsaw is Ingle, the former captain who has sat out the whole season with a serious knee injury sustained in a pre-season match in September.

The 33-year-old, who will leave Chelsea this summer, has still not played since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly with Chelsea last September.

However, the noises coming out of the Wales camp have been positive on her progress, with Wilkinson saying Ingle is “on track” to be part of Euros selection after the “milestone” of training with team-mates in a session before the game with Italy.

A fit-again Ingle would be a huge fillip to the Wales squad, not just for what she brings on the field but for her calming influence and leadership off it.

Knee injuries have been the bane of Wales’ preparations, in common with so many women’s teams, with Mayzee Davies the latest ruled out of Euro 2025 after the 18-year-old Manchester City defender ruptured her ACL in the Nations League defeat by Denmark at the end of May.

Wales are also without forward Megan Wynne, who suffered an ACL injury in Perth Glory’s final game of the season in April.

Gwalia United goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan-Jones is another ruled out with an ACL injury, although Wilkinson has said the 33-year-old, capped 59 times, will travel with the squad to help their preparations.

The injury to O’Sullivan-Jones will be less keenly felt by Wales, however, as fellow stoppers Olivia Clark and Safia Middleton-Patel have been the preferred choices during the Nations League campaign.

A few days after the squad announcement, Wales will head to the Algarve in Portugal for a training camp.

The Cascade resort is a Wales favourite, having previously played host to both the women’s and men’s teams, while Wilkinson also spent time there during her 183-cap playing career with Canada.

After some finishing touches are applied, Wales will then decamp to their Euro 2025 base in Weinfelden in the north of Switzerland.

While Wilkinson’s selection will be confirmed on Thursday at 1,085m above sea level, Wales’ highest summit is dwarfed by the Swiss alpine ranges and there may yet be – at least metaphorically – some daunting mountains to climb when the action gets under way there.

Saturday 5 July

Wales v Netherlands (17:00 BST, Lucerne)

Wednesday 9 July

France v Wales (20:00 BST, St Gallen)

Sunday 13 July